1. Field
The present technology is related to methods and compositions for nucleic acid extension or amplification reactions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous methods of amplification of a nucleic acid are known to those skilled in the art. In general, the amplification of a nucleic acid sequence includes creating one or more copies of the nucleic acid sequence or of a secondary nucleic acid sequence that may be indicative of the presence of the first nucleic acid. Examples include, but are not limited to, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), rolling circle amplification (RCA), nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), ligase chain reaction (LCR), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), among others. In some technologies, a nucleic acid sequence indicative of the presence of a non-nucleic acid structure (e.g., a protein) is amplified, as in the proximity ligation assay (PLA) and other amplification methods. Methods of extension of a nucleic acid are also known to those skilled in the art.
The majority of these methods require a short nucleic acid sequence to “prime” the amplification reaction by providing a 3′ hydroxyl group upon which the target amplicon may be built. This nucleic acid sequence used to prime the reaction is referred to as a primer.